RECENT NEWS

I think USDA and my state of Minnesota have done good work. And they continue to do a good job addressing the situation. It hasn’t been perfect but perfection is hard to come by in times of crisis. Now is the time to go over lessons learned that will help us develop a better plan if we have a future outbreak.

I look forward to hearing our witnesses’ views on the areas that need more work, particularly what they feel would be the most appropriate role for Congress to support Chairman Massad in his efforts to coordinate the CFTC’s rules with those of foreign regulators.

Importantly, the bill changes the current review process to ensure that every new genetically engineered plant destined to enter the market goes through an FDA safety review. The bill also sets a national, uniform standard to define genetically engineered products. Food producers and processors choosing to market their products as non-GE will be able to do so with a USDA-backed label.

Oversight of USDA is a responsibility the Committee takes very seriously. Having an open dialogue with the department is important to ensure that USDA is operating in the best interests of our constituents and implementing programs as Congress intended.

It has been about seven years since the financial crisis and five years since the Agriculture Committee finished its work on Title Seven of Dodd Frank. We can look back now and see the results of that work.